# LIBRARY OF CONGRESS J 
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-| [SMITHSONIAN DEPOSIT. 1 

^UNITED STATES OF AMERICA f 



OR, A 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF GRATIA OLIVE 
LEONARD. 



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Aunt J M I have picked the best for you. p. 28. 



THE 



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OR, A 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF GRATIA OLIVE 
LEONARD. 



Around the throne of God in heaven 
Thousands of children stand; 

Children whose sins are all forgiven, 
A holy, happy band — 

Singing glory, glory, glory. 



AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

No. 316 CHESTNUT STREET. 

NEW YORK: No. 147 NASSAU ST. 

BOSTON: No. 9 CORXHILL CINCINNATI: 41 WEST FOURTH ST. 

LOUISVILLE : No. 103 FOURTH ST. 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by the 

AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

in the Cleric's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of 

Pennsylvania. 



J&S* No books are published by the American Sunday-School Union 
without the sanction of the Committee of Publication, consisting of four- 
teen members, from the following denominations of Christians, viz. Bap- 
tist, Methodist, Congregational, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and 
Reformed Dutch. Not more than three of the members can be of the same 
denomination, and no book can be published to which any member of the 
Committee shall object. 






PREFACE. 



My Dear Children: 

I have written this little story for 
you. Read it carefully, and be made 
better. Learn the lessons it would teach 
you. 

The subject of this sketch was a child 
of uncommon grace and loveliness — al- 
ways cheerful and full of kindness — of 
bright and ready understanding. 

Much that I have written about her 
is from her mother, and in her mother's 
language. 

I knew her well for several years, and 
though I was quite young, her daily life 



PREFACE. 



was a lesson of love to me. This is why 
I have been prompted to write this little 
work. 

If, by reading it, one little boy or girl 
is led to love God, I shall feel that I 
have been more than repaid. 

M. J. P. R. 




GEATIA OLIVE LEONARD; 



OR, 



%\t fitil* Wimmxi 



CHAPTER I. 

Now, dear children, we are all ready 
for a story ; but first, let me say a few 
words about something else, for I love 
you much and wish to do you good. 

You all know what it is to do right, 
and you know when you do wrong, for 
your dear mother has often told you. And 
you know also that when you do right, 
you are happy, and every thing around you 
seems pleasant ; but when you do wrong, 
you are unhappy, and your face, which 
should be bright with smiles, is cloudy 
and frowning, and nothing pleases you. 



10 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



Then you sometimes think you will 
never be naughty again. But ah ! how 
soon you forget, and are even naughtier 
than before. 

Do you know why it is that you fail to 
be good ? I will tell you. It is because 
you do not ask God to help you do right. 

Now you cannot be good unless God 
assists you, because you have a wicked 
heart to lead you to do wrong again. 

God has given you a soul, a very pre- 
cious soul ! Oh, how precious ! I cannot 
tell you how great its worth, and he wishes 
you to take care* of it and watch over it 
constantly, for it is immortal. It will live 
forever and ever. It can never, never die. 

When God formed your body, he 
placed within it this wonderful thing, 
and when your body dies, (if you are 
his child,) this soul of yours will soar 
away to live with him in Heaven. 

Did I hear you say, " How can I take 
care of such a precious soul ? I am not 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 11 



old enough, and I don't know how? " Oh 
yes, dear children, you are old enough, 
and God will teach you how, if you pray 
to him to help you. 

Don't you remember how Christ took 
little children in his arms and blessed 
them? Well, he loves them just the 
same now, as when he was upon the 
earth, and by his Holy Spirit he leads 
them to love and serve God. 

He often takes good children, who 
have lived but a few years, home to his 
own bosom. Thus he took our dear 
little Gratia, of whom I am about to tell 
you. 

She died before she was eight years 
old ; and though she was so young, she 
was prepared to live with God in the 
beautiful mansions he has prepared for 
such as love him. Now, I trust, she is 
a glorious angel with shining garments, 
and her lovely face is radiant with the 
joys of that delightful world. We think 



12 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



we almost hear her shouting her infant 
praises with the multitude of happy 
spirits. 

Little Gratia lived several years ago, 
perhaps before some of you were born. 

She was very beautiful when a babe. 
She had bright, laughing, black eyes and 
a sweet and happy face. 

So have I a beautiful baby sister, you 
say ! Yes, so you have ; and I trust she 
will be as good as Gratia, when she 
grows older. 

If you are good, she will try to be 
like you. 

When Gratia was but little more than 
two years old, she was very sick for 
about ten weeks ; yet she was patient and 
pleasant through it all. She was only 
an infant in years, but her mind was 
much more active and mature than is 
usual at that age. Her dear mother says 
of her at this time, " Those who watch- 
ed over her during her sickness, can 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 13 



never forget her sweet and almost un- 
earthly countenance, her uncommon pa- 
tience, and her readiness to take or have 
done for her any thing that was thought 
best." 

Perhaps many of my little readers 
have been sick. If you have, and your 
kind mother wished you to take some- 
thing to relieve you, did you receive it 
pleasantly, or did you become impatient 
and refuse to take it, and thus by your 
naughtiness trouble and grieve your dear 
mother, who is ever so watchful for your 
good and so anxious for your recovery ? 
If you will always remember how fond- 
ly your parents love you, and how care- 
ful they are to secure your comfort and 
happiness, you will try, by your obe- 
dience, to reward their kindness and 
love. 

When Gratia was but about a year old, 
her mother taught her to pray, and as 
soon as she was able to lisp a sentence, 
2 



14 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



she would pray in her own infant words, 
"0 God, make little-ee Gratia a good 
child. May I love Thee ! Amen." This 
was her simple prayer. how sweet it 
was ! God delights to hear such prayers. 

She could not be content to let the 
time for daily prayer pass unnoticed ; 
and her mother says, " If any thing oc- 
curred to prevent our going away at the 
usual hour, she would come, and taking 
me by the finger, softly say, ' Come, 
mother,' showing me that it was not for- 
gotten." 

As Gratia grew older, she was taught 
the Lord's prayer, with other prayers 
and hymns. 

She always repeated these on going to 
rest, still closing her devotions with a 
prayer in her own words, in which she 
would pray for the forgiveness of her 
sins; for a clean heart; for her father 
and mother; and for the heathen and 
poor orphans. 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 15 



She loved and pitied the poor orphans, 
and was deeply interested in them. 

Her little prayer for them would often 
be in words like these : " Will the Lord 
have mercy upon the poor orphans, and 
those who have no mother to pray w T ith 
them ! Will the Lord be their father and 
friend ! " 

One day, a person called at the house 
to obtain subscriptions for a magazine 
devoted to the interest of orphans. Gra- 
tia listened eagerly to what was said, 
then whispered, " May I give some of 
my money, mother ? " " Certainly, if you 
wish," her mother replied ; " how much 
w T ill you give ? " " My twenty-five cents ! " 
was her gentle reply. This had been a 
present to her not many days before. 
" That will be all you have, dear," said 
her mother. " I know it, mother; I wish 
to give all," she replied; being full of 
joy that she was able to bestow a little 
upon the needy. 



16 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



Now, little boys and girls, come tell 
me what you do with all the money 
you get ? Do you carry it to the Sun- 
day-school and drop it into the mission- 
ary box ? Perhaps you give most of it 
to the poor orphan children, as Gratia 
did. 

I trust you are not so foolish as to 
buy candies and nuts, because those will 
do you harm ; but if you give it to poor 
suffering children, it will make both 
you and them happy; and besides, you 
will gain their love and please God. 
Thus you, though young, will be the 
means of doing great good, and God will 
bless you. 

Gratia was not only ready to do good, 
but she was ever afraid of doing wrong. 

She was very early troubled, thinking 
there was an evil spirit who came to dis- 
turb her and to tempt her to do wrong. 
She gave him a very singular name, and 
I presume it will make you laugh. It 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 17 



was Parnah-pep. No one knew why she 
gave it this queer name, or where she 
found it. 

When at play, she would often speak 
out, " Go away ! Pamah-pep, go away ! " 
as if something was trying to make her 
naughty. 

Sometimes, when she was doing any 
thing wrong, she would say, " It was not 
little-ee Gratia. It was Pamah-pep ! " 
When her mother asked what she meant 
by Pamah, she would reply, " He came 
to make me be naughty." 

She used this singular name until she 
was able to read and understand, that 
there was indeed an evil spirit abroad in 
the earth to tempt not only little chil- 
dren, but men and women to do wrong. 
After Gratia was able to read the Bible, 
she would repeat the words of our Sa- 
viour, when he was tempted, " Get thee 
behind me, Satan." 

While she was yet quite young, and 
2* 



18 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



before she could read, the Bible was read 
to her, with many other books ; and she 
was so delighted to listen, that much of 
her time was spent in this way. 

She was so attentive when her little 
story-books were read to her, that often 
after she had heard them two or three 
times, she would take the book, and with 
correctness repeat the story as if she 
was reading it, making appropriate pauses, 
and putting every w 7 ord in its place. 




THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 19 



CHAPTER II. 

It was quite an advantage, beside being 
very pleasant, for Gratia to be able to re- 
peat so well from memory. I will show 
you why. One day, Rev. Mr. Knapp, 
an aged minister living in the town where 
Gratia resided, called at her father's 
house. It happened to be at a time when 
Gratia had many of her little books 
about. While there, he asked her if 
she would read to him. She immediately 
answered his request by taking up an 
almanac and turning to the story of 
" The Buried Child," written by a mis- 
sionary. She commenced reading, at the 
same time placing her finger underneath 
the line, and following with it each word 
as she pronounced it. Every word was 
spoken and every pause made correctly, 



20 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



Mr. Knapp overlooking her all the while. 
When she had finished, Mr. Knapp, look- 
ing at her as if thinking she were too 
young to read so well, said, " Why, Gra- 
tia, you are a very fine reader." 

He was greatly surprised on learning 
from her mother that she did not know 
a letter. Now, my little readers, how do 
you suppose Gratia could read so w r ell, 
and not know her letters ? If you will 
listen thoughtfully and carefully, I will 
tell you, for I fear you will not be able 
to guess. When her mother read to her, 
she gave all her attention to the story : 
she was not thinking of her kitten, or 
her new doll; or of any of her play- 
things. Her thoughts were all upon the 
story, and this is why she was able to 
repeat it so exactly. 

She was but three years old at this 
time ; you are six, seven and eight, and 
some of you are nine and ten years old, 
perhaps, yet I fear you do not remember 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 21 



so well as she, even when you read the 
story yourself. I wish you to read this 
so carefully, that you can tell me all 
about it, when you have read it only 
twice. 

It was my happy lot to live by the 
side of Gratia' s home for nearly three 
years, and I saw her often — almost every 
day. 

I was then not more than twelve years 
old, but her conduct and conversation 
made a lasting impression upon my mind. 
One feature in her character I ever looked 
upon with silent admiration, and it still 
brings her memory back to my heart 
with a most sacred charm. My admira- 
tion then was childish, but now I reflect 
with older thoughts and wonder at her 
most perfect obedience, I never knew her 
disobey in a single instance, and her mo- 
ther tells me she can call to mind but 
one instance where there was any in- 
clination to disobey. 



22 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



Her aunt Mary, who lived at the next 
house, had a nice flower-garden in her 
father's yard, and Gratia, being very 
fond of flowers, would walk cautiously 
about in the paths, admiring the rich 
blossoms and expressing her delight. 
Her mother had forbidden her picking 
any, telling her they were her aunt's. 
One day, when she was out with her 
aunt Mary, she said to her, pointing 
to some choice plants, " Gratia, aunty 
wishes to save those for seed, and you 
must not pick them." Gratia w r as full 
of life and frolic, and while her aunt 
was yet speaking, she snapped off the 
very blossom she had forbidden her to 
take, jumping and screaming with de- 
light. And her aunt Mary says, " I ran 
after her, but could not catch her ; she 
snatched from its stem every flower in 
her way, while I could not keep from 
laughing, to see how quickly and mis- 
chievously she did it. My immoderate 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 28 



laughter probably encouraged her in her 
work of destruction and disobedience." 

Her mother called to her, and she 
stopped immediately. She was punished, 
however ; but was never after known to 
pluck a flower without permission, though 
she was often seen walking cautiously 
among them, as before, now and then 
stooping down to peep into their half- 
open cups, and smell them. This was 
her obedience to her mother. She did 
not say to herself, " Mother will not see 
me, so I will pick just one!' She knew 
and remembered that God was looking 
upon her, and that he would notice every 
disobedient act she committed. 

But the next year our little Gratia 
had a flower-garden of her own, which 
she cultivated with childish pleasure. She 
kept this little garden as long as she 
lived, and one bunch of violets still re- 
mains in the same spot where they were 
placed for her. 



24 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 

She was not only willing to obey, but 
gentle in her obedience, never manifest- 
ing anger or dislike. Never can I forget 
her sweet submission to all her mother's 
wishes ; neither would I forget it, for I 
desire to imitate it myself and to exhibit 
it to others. 

She used frequently to come over and 
stay with me nearly all day. I was de- 
lighted to have her, for she was pleasant 
company to old and young — always af- 
fectionate, cheerful, and yielding. 

How oft has been the time she would 
come and take her place at her mother's 
bed-room window to watch for me, and as 
soon as I appeared, she would call out in 
a clear, pleasant voice, her face all lighted 
with smiles, "Miss M. J.," (she always 
called me Miss, though I was but twelve 
years old) "would you like to have 
little-ee Gratia come over and see you to- 
day V And I was only too happy to re- 
ply, " Yes, Gratia ; will you come ?" " I 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 25 



don't know, but I will go and ask my 
mother/' and away she would run, full 
of joy. She would be gone but a mo- 
ment, when her little bright face would 
again appear, not changed and pouting 
at disappointment, but with the same 
happy smile. And when I asked, " Well, 
Gratia, will you come ?" she would an- 
swer, " I would like to come, but my 
mother cloesrit think it best; it is rather 
damp — or too windy — or I have some 
cold." And then she would add with 
the most lovely, yielding spirit, " I can 
come just as well some other time." Oh, 
how noble ! I cannot dwell upon it enough. 
She loved to submit. It was sufficient, 
if her mother did not approve. She 
would not continue to tease her with 
fretful and troublesome questions, " Why 
cannot I go, mother ? I'm sure 'tis not 
very damp; and I shall be in-doors all 
the time there, as well as at home. It's 
but a step, you know. Do let me go, 



26 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



mother ; the wind doesn't blow harder 
than it has a great many times, when I 
have been out. Please, mother, let me 
go !" and if still refused, go away pout- 
ing and sullen, determined to make every 
one unhappy and herself, too, by being 
cross and unkind. 

No, the sunlight was still as bright in 
Gratia' s heart; she was just as smiling 
and happy if denied; and, my dear chil- 
dren, you can be. You too can feel, that 
" mother does'nt think it best," and that 
you can go "just as well some other 
time." Try and see how very pleasant it 
is, and how easily you can yield to the 
wishes of your parents ; and I am sure 
your father and mother will think you 
are the best child they ever knew, and 
they will wonder what has been done to 
you, that you have become so good. 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 27 



CHAPTER III. 

Another beautiful feature in Gratia's 
character was her self-denial. She early 
learned that she could not indulge her 
appetite for fruit during the warm months, 
without injury to her health; but if she 
had been told that it would do her harm 
to eat this or that, never was she known 
to say, " I wish I might have some. Can- 
not I have just a little, mother ?" When 
she saw others eating any thing of which 
she was very fond, she would sometimes 
say, " When winter comes, I may eat as 
much of it as I please !" 

Her aunt M., in speaking of this plea- 
sant trait, says, " Being on a visit one 
day at her father's house, we were all 
grouped together partaking from a large 
basket of very nice, ripe fruit, of a kind 



28 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



Gratia loved best, but of which she could 
not then even taste, as the weather was 
still warm, and she had been quite sick. 
It is with the most tender feelings I re- 
call the expression of her dear face, as 
running around the group and stooping 
over the basket full of the most tempt- 
ing fruit, she picked them over gently 
and selected three or four of the largest 
and ripest. Then bounding over to me 
and seeing my eye bent upon her, she 
said, quickly, 'Aunt J., I have picked 
the best for you — how nice! — you can 
have them all : will you eat them V " 

She seemed to have forgotten herself 
entirely, and gave up freely what she 
loved so well, not even asking to taste. 
I have not told you that Gratia had a 
dear baby brother ; and how fond of him 
she was ; and how she loved to rock his 
cradle ; and how she would amuse him 
with her toys and play. When she was 
but little more than four years old, God 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 29 



took away this infant brother and made 
him a bright angel, to live in heaven 
with him, and Gratia was again an only 
child. 

The death of this darling babe led 
Gratia to think a great deal of God and 
heaven, and she talked much of her 
loved brother, and thought how happy 
he was amid the joys of that blissful 
home. She learned a little song that 
she found in one of her books, and would 
often repeat it to her mother; and would 
repeat it with so much feeling, that it 
would make a listener weep. 

Perhaps you have learned it; it is 
found in many books for children. Here 
is a single verse : 

" Mother, how still the baby lies ! — 
I cannot hear his breath ; 
I cannot see his laughing eyes — 
They tell me, this is death !" 

Her mother says, " When talking of 
him, she would often be in raptures, and 

3* 



30 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



become so animated, that her face would 
glow with pleasure and her eyes sparkle 
with joy. Her thoughts of him w r ere al- 
ways pleasant. She would often pray 
that she might be good, so as to spend 
eternity with him, singing praises to God 
and the Lamb. 

Gratia s time was always pleasantly, 
and much of it usefully, occupied. During 
the winter after her brother's death, she 
learned many pretty hymns for children. 

There was one for the morning, that 
she would often repeat to her mother on 
meeting her immediately after rising : 

"Good morning, dear mother ! through all the cold 
night 
How sweet have I slept, and how still, and how warm ! 
My heavenly Father watched over your child, 
And guarded her safe from each danger and harm. 

"And precious new blessings each moment he gives; 
I will love him, and thank him, and praise him each 

day; 

I will ask him to make me his own little child : , 
Then all his commands I shall gladly obey." 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 31 



She would say this with such sweet- 
ness and good feeling, as made her mother 
very happy. She also learned a little 
prayer, that was one among her favourites : 

"Jesus, Saviour, Son of God, 
Who for me life's pathway trod, 
Who for me became a child, — 
Make me humble, meek, and mild. 

" I thy little child would be ; 
Jesus, I would follow thee ; 
Samuel was thy child of old, 
Take me too within thy fold." 

She would not hasten through these 
childish hymns, as if they had no mean- 
ing, but would think of them as speak- 
ing to herself. She learned others that 
were appropriate for the close of the day, 
with many little songs, such as — 

" Pretty bee, pray tell me, why 
Thus from flower to flower you fly." 

She was often asked by strangers to 
repeat some of her songs, and she would 



32 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



always do it with a simple, modest grace, 
and without any show r of vanity. 

During the winter, all her little plans 
and plays were for doing good. She 
talked a great deal about the heathen 
children. Of course, she was not large 
enough to do very much, and many little 
girls, no older, would think they couldn't 
do any tiling. 

But Gratia did something that was 
very thoughtful for a child four years 
old, and it ought to make us all feel 
ashamed that we do no more. 

She made a great many rag-dolls and 
sold them to obtain money. She would 
put quite a number of these in a basket, 
then put on her bonnet, and go over to 
call first upon her grandmother and 
Aunt M., whom I told you lived next 
door. They were curious things, to be 
sure, and w r ould have made you laugh 
most heartily, for they made her grand- 
mother and Aunt M. laugh, and her aunt 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 33 



M. says, " Could you have seen her little 
face, so full of interest in her work, so 
earnest that you should buy, and so sober 
in asking aid for the poor, you would 
have thought her a missionary indeed, 
though so lately out of the cradle. It 
was altogether the most ludicrous scene 
you can imagine, and yet it was most 
touching. I inquired the price of her 
wares, and bought two or three. 

She then acted the part of a tract-dis- 
tributor, carrying a bundle of old printed 
leaves which she had picked up. I was 
employed in distributing tracts at this 
time, and no doubt this was what led her 
to take tracts on her mission for c the 
poor.' ' Aunty,' she asked, 'do you think 
you are a Christian?' She then made 
the same inquiry of her grandmother, 
with as much solemnity as if she felt 
herself really engaged in the work." 

She then passed through into the other 
part of the house on the same errand, 



34 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



There she offered her dolls at the same 
price, and gave the lady one of her 
tracts, and spoke to her of the religious 
state of her mind ; but as the lady did 
not understand her as well as her grand- 
mother and aunt, she did not sell any 
of her dolls. She then went to others, 
probably, telling nearly the same story. 




THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 35 



CHAPTER IV. 

Gratia always engaged in every thing 
she undertook with an earnest zeal. All 
the money she received, and indeed all 
she ever possessed, was given to the or- 
phan and to the missionary; and her 
mother says, " She was never known to 
wish it for any other use. She would 
often say to me, ' Mother, I wish to do 
good with my money/ " 

It was this winter she formed the plan 
of being a teacher of the poor heathen, 
which plan she ever retained. The place 
she had chosen for her labours, was among 
the Hottentots in Africa. 

No doubt the reason for her thinking 
so decidedly upon this spot, was on ac- 
count of her hearing, about this time, 



36 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



so much of the labours of missionaries 
among that degraded people. 

The little story of " The Buried Child," 
already mentioned, she would repeat word 
for word, and it was this that she read 
to the Rev. Mr. Knapp. Perhaps you 
have forgotten it, or may never have 
seen it. — 

"One morning, a poor Bechuana came 
to the house of Mr. Moffat, Wesleyan 
missionary in the Bechuana country, in 
South Africa, and said, ' Have you lost 
a kitten ?' ' No ; why do you ask me ? ' 
' Because/ said the Bechuana, 'we 
thought we heard one mewing in the 
woods/ Presently, came another man, 
and knocked, and asked the same ques- 
tion, and then came a third likewise. 
Mr. Moffat thought it was very strange, 
and determined to go out into the woods 
and try to find what could make the 
noise ; so he went, and Mrs. Moffat fol- 
lowed him. He walked about and list- 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 37 



ened very attentively for a long time, 
but could hear nothing. At last he 
thought he heard a little sound, and he 
listened still more attentively, and thought 
it came from the ground. He stooped 
down and put his ear close, and found 
the place. He heard a weak cry, just 
like that of a kitten. He had no spade 
with him, but he scraped away the loose 
gravel and sand with his hands, and 
then he came to a great stone. He took 
up the stone, and what do you think he 
found? A kitten? No! a little babel 
A poor little babe ! Who could have 
put it there ? Its own mother ! She did 
not love her babe, so she put it there to 
die ! It had been there all night, and it 
was a wonder it had not died ; but God 
had heard its cry, and had sent Mr. Mof- 
fat to its living grave. He took it up 
and put it into Mrs. Moffat's arms, and 
she carried it home, and gave it milk, 
and dressed it, and took care of it. And 

4 



38 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



now this babe is grown up into a girl of 
fourteen, and she is with Mr. and Mrs. 
Moffat in England." 

This was a very entertaining story for 
Gratia, and it excited all her sympathies. 

Gratia was fond of play, like all chil- 
dren, and she would engage in sports as 
heartily as in her labours of love. One 
of her amusements was to run across 
the room from corner to corner, making 
plans and stories, as she called them. 
She would amuse herself for hours, if 
permitted, in composing letters, (she never 
learned 4:o write,) talking of her dear 
buried brother — providing for the or- 
phans — telling what she would do for the 
heathen and the poor beggar children — 
and laying plans for her garden and 
flowers. She would often laugh and call 
this flying, and wish she had wings to fly 
faster. Her aunt M. says of her : " Some- 
times I have listened for hours while, 
bounding from corner to corner, she re- . 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 39 



lated some Scripture story, with all the 
earnestness of childhood and the correct- 
ness of riper years. She was also very 
fond of drawing upon her own imagina- 
tion at such times. She would relate, 
without the least hesitation, long stories 
of good little children — bright angels — 
birds — flowers — and happy dreams of 
home. Yet such was her strict regard 
for truth in all she said, that, without 
an exception, I think, when she noticed 
any increased attention or unusual in- 
terest in my countenance, she would run 
to me instantly, and say, ' This is not 
a true story, Aunt Jane. I made it up 
for you/ Her little graceful form and 
beaming countenance, as she said this 
and bounded away, will long linger in 
memory — a cherished picture of child- 
hood, simplicity, and happiness." 

I will tell you of one of her favourite 
games, in which she always engaged with 
most lively spirits. The play is called 



40 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



" The Twenty Questions." She usually 
played it with her aunt Mary, and fre- 
quently her father and mother would 
join with them. Her aunt would think 
of some particular thing, and Gratia 
must guess what it was. To aid her in 
guessing it out, she could ask twenty 
questions. For instance, if Aunt M. 
thought of a lion, Gratia would ask, " Is 
it of the animal, vegetable, or mineral 
kingdom?" When her aunt would an- 
swer, "Animal," then perhaps Gratia 
would ask, " Is it wild or tame ?" The 
answer, " Wild." After asking a few 
such questions, she would soon tell what 
her aunt thought of. 

This is a very pleasant game for chil- 
dren, and gives them a good opportunity 
to learn to think. 

In all Gratia's pursuits she did not fail 
to look for the approbation of her mother. 
This it was her delight to obtain. She 
would watch her eyes so closely, it seemed 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 41 



as if she could almost read her thoughts. 
The weakest sigh or any thing but con- 
stant cheerfulness would disturb her. She 
could not be unhappy, and did not like to 
see others so. If any thing occurred to 
make them sad, she would ever try to 
change the subject to something more 
pleasant. She was light-hearted and free. 
In laying her miniature plans for the fu- 
ture, she never failed to say, "If I live, 
I will do so and so," — and, " When I be- 
come good, I expect to be a missionary." 
At one time, when she had been speak- 
ing of being a missionary, and going to 
teach the heathen children, her mother 
said to her, " Gratia, you would have to 
leave your father and mother ; and if we 
live, we shall be old, and if you go, we 
shall have no daughter, — no child ; and we 
shall be lonely and sad." She gazed into 
her mother s face for a moment, with an 
expression of deep anxiety, and then 
said, 

4* 



42 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



"Mother, God would take care of 
you." 

"But, Gratia/' said her mother, "you 
would have to sail over the broad ocean, 
and the ship might be broken in pieces, 
and you would be drowned." 

" If I was good y mother," replied Gra- 
tia, "it would matter little where I died; 
I should go to heaven." 

pure and simple faith ! how like and 
yet how unlike a child ! I would that 
all my little readers could feel as Gratia 
did, and would love God so well as to be 
willing to die at any time and in any 
place. 

It was also during this winter, when 
she was four years old, that Gratia 
learned to read. Her father left home 
the first week in January, to be absent 
four weeks. When he left, she did not 
know her letters, but when he returned, 
she was able to read a chapter from 
the New Testament correctly. He was 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 43 



very much surprised, and she as much 
delighted at learning to read. Her 
mother says, " She commenced with the 
alphabet, then took a primer, which had 
pictures, with very short words and sen- 
tences. She learned a short spelling and 
reading lesson correctly every day." 

Do you know what correctly means ? 
It does not mean nearly perfect ; it does 
not mean very well ; but it means that 
every word and letter was learned. And 
now we will see how much good it did 
her. 

" When she had read and spelled that 
book through," says her mother, "she 
was able to read almost any thing or 
any book. She always kept this little 
primer, calling it her dictionary." 

When she found a word in reading 
that she could not pronounce, she usu- 
ally knew just where to look for it in 
her little dictionary, if she had ever seen 
it there. 



44 



GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



After Gratia learned to read, she was 
eager to search every book that came in 
her way. She culled the family library, 
and if ever any thing was referred to in 
any of the books, she was often able to 
speak of it as if she had read it with 
understanding, though they were books 
far above her years. 




THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 45 



CHAPTER V. 

Children can learn to be missionaries 
when quite young, and can teach their 
playmates as well as children abroad. 
Gratia began her labours at home. She 
used to talk with her little playmates a 
great deal about their being good, and 
loving the Saviour, and trying to be 
Christians. She has often been heard 
repeating texts of Scripture to them, and 
then trying to explain their meaning. 
She would tell them in a gentle, loving 
way about Jesus, when he was upon 
earth ; how he took little children in his 
arms and blessed them, and invited them 
to come to him at all times ; and how he 
died upon the cross for them as well as 
for older people. Full of joy, she would 
tell them what the Bible says of heaven, 



46 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



repeating such passages as, " There shall 
be no night there ; and they need no 
candle, neither light of the sun ; for the 
Lord God giveth them light." " And 
God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes ; and there shall be no more death, 
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall 
there be any more pain." These she 
would try to explain in her own words, 
and would give them beautiful descrip- 
tions of that world of love, probably as 
they were impressed upon her own mind. 

" Oh, yes," she would say, "it will be 
a bright and beautiful place; and all 
good little children will go there. My 
dear little brother is there. He is an an- 
gel now, with pretty wings. Should you 
like to be an angel too?" Then she 
would ask each one if she thought her- 
self a Christian, and if she wished to live 
with God; and would repeat what the 
Bible tells us to do to become Christians. 

There was a little girl about Gratia's 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 47 



age, who lived near her, and who became 
her playmate. They were often together. 

One day, when she had been out play- 
ing with this little girl, she came to her 
mother and said, " Mother, I have been 
talking to Fannie about the Bible, and 
she liked to hear me. She has no mother, 
you know, to talk and pray with her, 
and I thought I would speak with her 
about it. She said she should like to be- 
come good. We had a very pleasant 
time." 

Although Gratia was but five years 
old at this time, she was quite familiar 
with the holy book of God, and was never 
known to use its passages improperly. 
She was in the habit of reading a chapter 
to her mother every night before going 
to bed; and she would frequently take 
up the Bible in the course of the day and 
appear to read it with much interest. 

It was during this year that Gratia's 
dear grandmother died; and she was 



48 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



deeply grieved to see her aunt M. so 
sad. She would often see her weeping, 
when she not only tried to comfort her, 
but would pray for her. 

One day Gratia came out of her little 
" room for prayer/' as she called it, and 
said to her, " Aunty, I have been pray- 
ing for you, that you need not feel so 
badly about grandmamma." 

Gratia's faith was strong, though the 
summer of her life had been short. She 
locked to God always. She had such 
confidence in his care, that she could 
trust him for every thing, feeling safety 
in the greatest danger. She never ex- 
pressed any fear in a severe thunder- 
storm. Even when very young, she 
would say to her mother, at such times, 
" Mother, God can take care of us as 
well in the storm as in the sunshine." 
She knew that the great God who had 
created her, and watched over her when 
an infant, would shield her still, and 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 49 



would never let her escape from his 
watchful eye. And he will care for you, 
my dear children ; you need have no 
fear, for it is God who sends both the 
storm and the calm. 

The winter that Gratia was six years 
old, she learned to sing, and from the 
first her whole soul was engaged in it. 
She gave all her attention as well in 
learning to sing as in learning to read. 

When at the singing-school, she was 
not turning around to see what was going 
on behind her, or whispering to the little 
girl who sat beside her ; nor did she, in 
any way, try to attract the attention of 
others ; but she listened to all her teacher 
said, and thus, after the second or third 
lesson, she could sing a tune alone. 

Before attending singing-school, she 
had no correct idea of a tune, and when 
she commenced going, her mother had 
little expectation that she would learn to 
sing. She was extremely fond of music, 



50 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



however, and was so delighted to be able 
to sing at home, that she would clap her 
hands and jump about with glee. 
Among her favourite tunes were — 
" Come, come, the summer now is here," 
and : 

" Flowers, wild-wood flowers," 

" A charge to keep I have," 

" Lord, teach me how to pray," 

" To thee, blessed Saviour," &c. 

At the close of the term of singing- 
school a concert was given, and the little 
ones sung to us. Many of them sung 
entirely alone, and Gratia was one of 
these. Her teacher said to her, " Gratia, 
you may sing, ' The Cuckoo.' " She step- 
ped out alone upon the platform, and 
sung it sweetly through, and so distinctly, 
that the whole audience could hear. * 

* In such exhibitions too much care cannot be 
taken to prevent the excitement of vain or envious 
passions. There are always persons ready to flatter 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 51 



Her voice was mellow, clear, and full. 
Most of my little readers love to sing, I 
am sure ! It is a happy employment ! 
If you do not now know, whenever you 
can you must try very hard to learn. 
I think you can learn, if you will only 
try long enough. Singing has a gentle 
and soothing influence upon children. 

I have seen two little girls, who were 
crying and quarrelling with anger, quieted 
in a very few moments by being per- 
suaded to sing together, and made as 
happy as if nothing unpleasant had oc- 
curred. 

There is such a charm in music, it 
makes us love each other. Yes, and the 

the pride of children, especially if their ways are 
interesting and attractive; and it would seem better 
and safer to present them as seldom as possible to 
public observation. We do not apply this caution 
to the case in the text, supposing that under these 
circumstances no such danger was to be appre- 
hended. 



52 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



angels sing ! The cherubs of heaven 
spread their wings, and with golden harps 
and holy voices swell the glorious song 
of the redeemed. My little sister and 
yours is singing now in yon fair world. 
Oh, 'tis a holy, holy work ! Then learn 
to sing ! and when you have wicked 
thoughts in your heart, or feel angry to- 
ward a brother or sister, or when you 
have been disobedient to your kind pa- 
rents, or unkind to your playmates, sing 
the prettiest song you have learned. It 
will help to drive away all those wicked 
thoughts, and make you feel pleasant 
yourself, and all seem kind to you. Will 
you try it ? 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 53 



CHAPTER VT. 

After the death of her infant brother, 
Gratia would amuse herself at times, 
making stories about a little sister; and 
when she was seven and a half years old, 
she was indeed made happy by the gift 
of a dear baby sister. She was greatly 
pleased, and gave her a name the first 
time she saw her. She called her Annie 
Huntington. " Why do you call her by 
that name, Gratia?" asked her aunt M. 
" Because you know, aunty, my name 
is Gratia, and if I call the baby Annie 
Huntington, it will be all mother's name." 

Gratia was never weary of taking care 
of the baby, but once. She had been 
rocking the cradle for some time. There 
was something new in the kitchen, and 

5* 



54 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



she ran to see it, when her little sister 
commenced crying. 

Her mother called her, and said, " Gra- 
tia, I thought you would never be tired 
of taking care of a little sister." " I did 
think so, mother; but I don't think so 
now." 

And have you a little sister? Well, 
do you love her so well that you are will- 
ing to do every thing you can for her ? 
When your mother is very much fatigued 
and worried with care, do you rock the 
cradle, or try to amuse the baby with 
your playthings, or quiet her with your 
singing and frolicking ? Or are you fret- 
ful and call, " Mother, I wish you would 
take the baby ! I can't keep her still. I 
wish I didn't have to rock the cradle ! 
Why can't I go and play now, mother ?" 
No, I cannot believe you will show, for a 
moment, so unpleasant a disposition. 

When Annie Huntington was about 
three months old, she was very sick, and 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 55 



Gratia expressed all the tender anxiety 
that a mother feels. She would sit by the 
cradle and watch every motion of the 
suffering child. When she found her 
mother concerned lest her dear babe 
should die, she would try to comfort her, 
by saying, " Mother, if little sister does 
not live, it will be all well. God, you 
know, always does right, and she will be 
forever happy, and go to heaven, where 
there will be no more pain, no more sor- 
row." In this way she did truly com- 
fort her, and made her feel how small 
would be the loss, compared with the 
treasure she found in Gratia. 

Gratia would often pray with much 
earnestness that God would spare little 
sister's life, and that " she might love the 
Lord in her early youth, and be trained 
up to serve him, and to be useful in the 
world, and a comfort to her parents." 

Sometimes she would say, " When sis- 
ter can walk, I shall lead her out, and 



56 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



show her the birds and the flowers, and 
tell her, God made these. I shall teach 
her to read, and tell her of heaven." 

Will you remember this, little friends, 
and try to instruct your younger brothers 
and sisters in useful things? Did you 
say you were not old enough ? You have 
forgotten that Gratia was but little more 
than seven years old at this time. Sure- 
ly, you can teach them a great deal. If 
you are pleasant and courteous to every- 
body, and willing, at all times, to obey 
those who are over you, you can in this 
way teach them to be good ; and that will 
be a great work for a little boy or girl 
to do. 

You can tell them what you know 
about your heavenly Father, and all that 
he has made for you and them, and you 
can tell them what a dear father and 
mother he has given you. You can teach 
them of the birds and flowers, as Gratia 
did, and of the stars, the clouds, and the 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 57 



glorious rainbow which God has made 
and placed in the sky, as a token that he 
will never drown the world again. There 
are many, many things, you can teach 
them. Perhaps you will have to tell your 
little sister a good many times before 
she will remember, because she is so 
young; but you must try and see how pa- 
tient and persevering you can be; else 
I fear, she will think you unkind and 
selfish, and I am sure, you would not 
like much to be thought so, — much less 
to be so. Should you ? 




58 / GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



CHAPTER VII. 

During the last summer of Gratia's 
life she learned to knit and sew, and in 
this way made herself quite useful. 

There are not many little girls now 
who learn to knit ; indeed, there are but 
few voung ladies w r ho understand the art 
of knitting. It is very useful, however, 
and ofttimes keeps children out of se- 
rious mischief. Most children are not 
pleased with it at first. Gratia was not, 
but she had a nice way to learn. She 
would knit a certain number of times 
round on her stocking, and then have a 
problem in arithmetic, "for her encou- 
ragement," as she would say. At last, in 
this way, she learned to love it. 

She needed but very little instruction 
to sew, as she had learned most of the 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 59 



stitches, in making garments for her dolls. 
Many happy hours she spent sewing or 
knitting by her mother's side. At such 
times she was full of conversation, usu- 
ally selecting subjects of a serious nature, 
either upon good conduct, or something 
that would tend to improve her mind, 
or upon some topic in the Bible. 

During the month of February pre- 
ceding her death, after having been sit- 
ting, one day, for some moments in deep 
thought, she looked inquiringly up to her 
mother, and said, " Mother, I want to be 
a Christian. I wish you would tell me 
just what I must do to be a Christian. I 
want to be all ready to die, while I am 
well, so that when I come to die, I shall 
have nothing to do but to die." 

After trying to explain to her what 
the Bible required, and telling her of the 
freeness of salvation, she burst into tears, 
saying, " Is that the way, mother ? Did 
the Saviour die upon the cross for me ? 



60 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



For such a sinner as I?" "Yes, my 
dear/' replied her mother; "he died for 
the chief of sinners." 

" I want you to think over my ivhole 
life, mother, and try to remember all my 
sins!" 

With great earnestness she then in- 
quired, " Are those all you can remem- 
ber, mother? Can't you recollect some 
others? I have thought of all those." 
" You know your besetting sin," replied 
her mother, "I have told you all the 
outward sins I can call to mind, but I do 
not know, Gratia, what sins you have 
committed since I have been sick." She 
then told her mother that she had com- 
mitted two sins, and what they were; and 
added, "Mother, God has forgiven me 
those. I went to him, and asked him to 
forgive me, and he has forgiven me." 

At another time, after having a simi- 
lar conversation with her mother, she sat 
down upon the little cricket, exclaiming, 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 61 



" Ob, mother, I am happy now ! I am 
not afraid to die ? " 

"Do you think you are a Christian, 
Gratia ? " asked her mother 

" Yes, mother, I think I am." Her re- 
ply to this question had always been, be- 
fore, " I should like to be," or, "I think 
I shall be," or, " I expect to be ; for the 
Bible says, 'Ask and ye shall receive/" 

Again, at another time, she said, " I 
feel that I am a great sinner, but the 
Bible says, you know, mother, that the 
blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin." 

This dear child was not only desirous 
of being a child of God, by name, but by 
all the truthful motives of her heart she 
sought to know his will, and to do it. 
She was not content simply to say she 
was a Christian, until she knew what 
should be the character of one who pro- 
fessed to love God. Upon one occasion, 
she said to her mother, " I want to be a 
real Christian, mother!" Her mother, 



62 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



being very much engaged at that mo- 
ment, told her to ask her father about it. 
She then went to him with the inquiry, 
" Father, what is it to be a real Chris- 
tian?" Her father took the holy book 
into his hands, and read to her such pas- 
sages as he thought suitable to answer 
the question, and to assist her in her 
self-examination, after which her mind 
seemed to be at rest. 

She was often interrupted in these 
pleasant conversations, by the entrance 
of some one, but they left their lasting 
impress upon her. 

After Gratia had expressed the belief 
that she was indeed a Christian, she 
seemed watching to devour every good 
word, and her daily life was that of 
eagerness after the great truths of religion. 
She sought them everywhere; in her 
Bible ; in all the works of God ; and in 
the Sunday-school. She loved dearly to 
attend this blessed institution, where she 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 63 



could hear and speak of Christ her Sa- 
viour. Her lessons were learned from a 
book of questions and answers, and she 
never failed of a perfect lesson at school. 

Now, Emily, and Hattie, and Henry, 
how do you suppose she could always 
have a perfect lesson ? I will tell you. 
She did not wait until Saturdav after- 
noon or Sunday morning, before she 
learned it. 

It is but a short time, since I heard a 
kind mother saying to her Emma and 
Frank, " Come, my dears, 'tis Saturday 
afternoon, and you must get your Sun- 
day-school lesson." But with a sullen 
little pout, Emma says — 

" I don't want to get it to-day ! There 
will be plenty of time to-morrow morn- 
ing ! Say, mother, must I get it ?" 

u Yes, my dear, you must learn it to- 
day," replied her mother, with decision. 
And with the impatient and thoughtless 
exclamation, " Oh dear, I wish I didn't 



64 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



have to go to Sunday-school ! " Emma 
threw herself upon the sofa. 

Think of it, dear children — "not wish 
to go to Sunday-school ! " Do you ever 
wish you were not obliged to go? Do 
you not wish to know about that dear 
blessed Saviour, who came into the world, 
and suffered and died for you ? Do you 
not wish to know the way to that bright 
world beyond the grave ? And do you not 
wish to know about those beautiful man- 
sions and the great white throne, where 
Jesus sits to receive the praise and ado- 
ration of all saints ? If you do, then go 
to the Sunday-school ; and may you de- 
light to go! I hope little Emma will 
read this book; for I think she would 
never say again that she does not want 
to go to Sunday-school. 

But I see by your anxious faces that 
you are waiting to know how our little 
Gratia always had a perfect lesson. You 
desire to do as well as she did. Well, 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 65 



she always learned it in advance. By 
that I mean, she learned some time be- 
fore she was to recite it. Her mother 
remarked to me once, that often, when 
she had a few moments of leisure, she 
would say, " Gratia, now is a good time 
to learn a little of your Sunday-school 
lesson." Her reply would usually be — 
" Oh, mother, I learned that lesson a 
week ago — or a long time ago," and many 
times she would have it committed two 
and three weeks in advance. 



6* 



66 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Dear child, do you ever think how 
beautiful the sky is? When you look 
at the soft, floating clouds, and watch 
their ever-changing forms, tracing moun- 
tains and cities, animals and men, do 
you remember who it is that has made 
this glorious sky, and who now permits 
you to enjoy it? 

Gratia, too, was fond of gazing at the 
sky, especially at sunset ; and she would 
often exclaim, " Come, mother, come and 
see the golden clouds ! Oh, how beauti- 
ful they are! Where do you suppose 
heaven is? The Bible says, our Saviour 
was carried up to heaven, and that he 
will come in the clouds of heaven." And 
then she would watch the stars as they 
appeared one by one, until they sparkled 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 67 



like brilliant gems over the entire firma- 
ment ; and she would repeat that little 
hymn, which I presume you learned a 
long time ago — 

" Twinkle, twinkle, little star !" 

Every thing she saw seemed to make 
her happy ! Her young heart was full 
of love and sympathy. " She lived to 
love." But most of all she loved God and 
his works, and her soul praised him con- 
tinually. She desired to be sincere in 
her worship and in her Christianity ; for 
so her conversation proved. Her mother 
says, "At one time Gratia said to me, 
'What is it, mother, to pray with the 
heart ? ' I explained it to her, when she 
quickly replied, ' Then I pray with the 
hearty mother ! ' No morning passed with- 
out that sweet, earnest petition, ' Mother, 
you will pray with me to-day?' and if 
no opportunity presented for us to retire 
for that purpose, she would come again, 



68 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



and whisper the request in my ear. No 
play would cause her to forget it ; and 
when the hour came, she would plead 
with God, with all the fervour, sincerity, 
and simplicity with which she would 
ask a favour of her earthly parents. Be- 
fore retiring at night, she always spent 
some time in prayer; and though she 
loved her dear parents so ardently, she 
felt that Christ, her Saviour, was more 
than they, and worthy of her supreme 
affections; and she would frequently say 
in her prayer, ' May I love thee, Lord, 
better than father or mother or any 
thing: " 

She would sometimes wish to engage 
in prayer more than once, and would 
say, " I can pray after I get into bed." 
Gratia had a particular hour for retiring, 
and did not (like many little girls I have 
seen) as soon as that hour came, begin 
to tease her mother to allow her to sit 
up a little longer. Pleasantly would she 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 69 



go to her bed and there lie awake one, 
two, and sometimes three hours, spend- 
ing that time in singing, praying, and in 
reflection. 

A friend (often a visitor to her fa- 
ther's house) says of her in this particu- 
lar, — "It was not uncommon for her 
to lie in her little bed, all alone and in 
the silent darkness, without the least 
noise or disturbance, from eight o'clock 
until ten and even eleven, when sudden- 
ly her bird-like voice would be heard 
singing some of her little songs of praise 
as cheerfully as though sitting by her 
mother's knee. To gratify my curiosity, 
I once opened the bed-room door, saying, 
' Why, Gratia, not asleep yet ?' She 
looked up immediately, and pleasantly 
said, 'No, I'm not asleep. I've been 
thinking.' " 

It was her custom to ^o away by her- 
self to pray, immediately after family de- 
votions, and during the last winter of her 



70 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



life, frequently, at different hours of the 
day, her mother would indistinctly hear 
her voice from the parlour, as of one en- 
gaged in earnest supplication. 

On the last Sabbath of her life, while 
she was yet in health, her dear father 
explained to her the thirteenth chapter 
of Corinthians. It was his custom every 
Sabbath to talk with her upon some 
chapter in the precious Word of God. .At 
the time of which I speak she seemed to 
be particularly interested in what he had 
to say. Her questions and answers were 
very thoughtful, and well adapted to a 
mind of riper years. Her last remark 
upon the chapter was, as she stood look- 
ing him eagerly in the eye, " Well, fa- 
ther, when Faith and Hope are no longer 
needed, Charity will remain forever." 

But the time had now come for little 
Gratia s faith and hope to be tried by the 
suffering of death. 

Yes, my dear children, Gratia must 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 71 



die ! but it was not hard for her. Though 
a little child, she could talk and think 
of dying without fear ; and you need not 
fear death, if you are a child of God. 

Do you remember, when your little 
brother died, how your mother wished 
you to smooth his forehead, and how you 
started back, saying, " Why, mother, how 
cold he is ! " and do you remember that 
he could not move nor see, and when you 
spoke to him so tenderly, he could not 
hear nor speak ? and how very pale he 
was — how still and stiff he lay upon the 
little table in the parlour — and how the 
snowy shroud was wrapped about him ? 
And do you remember, too, how the little 
dark coffin was brought, and the dear 
baby laid in it — and how the people 
came, and the good minister came to 
speak to all of you ; and do you remem- 
ber what he said about children dying 
and going far away to live with God? 
And after the minister had asked God to 



72 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD * OR, 



bless your dear, afflicted parents and the 
weeping brothers and sisters, do you re- 
member how slowly you went to the 
place of burial, and you asked your mother' 
why she wept, when, taking your little 
hand in hers, she said, " My child, it is 
because we are going to lay little brother 
in the ground, where we cannot see him 
again;" and then how you cried, and 
asked if you might be put in the ground 
with the baby, because he would be 
afraid to be alone — he was so small ! Do 
you remember all this ? 

Well, my dear children, you, too, must 
die some time, and your body will be 
senseless and cold ; and your eyes will be 
closed like the baby's; but you need not 
be afraid. If you love God and try to 
serve him, he will take care of you, and 
you will wish to go and live with him, 
for it is only your body that will die, 
and be put in the ground. Your happy 
spirit will rise and soar away to heaven, 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 73 



like a bird soaring to the skies; and 
there you will sing sweet songs, and play 
upon the golden harp that Christ will 
give you. When you think of these 
things, and that Jesus will be there to 
care for you, it will seem pleasant to die. 

Thus it was with Gratia. 

A few weeks before her death, a young 
lady, sixteen years of age, a friend of hers, 
was taken ill, and died in a few days. 

Gratia manifested great anxiety for 
the spiritual welfare of this loved friend, 
and after her mother was better and 
able to pray with her, she never failed 
to pray for Lucy, that the Lord would 
restore her to health, or else prepare her 
for heaven. 

One day, some one came in, and in 
conversation said, "I fear Lucy cannot 
live long." Gratia looked very sorry, and, 
with tears in her eyes, said, "Mother, 
I should like to see Lucy once more." 
She was soon after carried to see her, 

7 



74 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



and afterwards told her mother about 
their interview : " I asked Lucy, if she 
loved the Saviour, and if she thought 
she was a Christian, and whether, if she 
died, she should go to heaven." 



CHAPTER IX. 



Gratia was ill a number of days be- 
fore her disease assumed a dangerous 
form. One night, waking suddenly from 
sleep, she exclaimed, " I am blind, mo- 
ther! I am dying! I am dying!" " Should 
you be alarmed, Gratia, if you knew you 
were dying ? " inquired her mother. She 
immediately replied, "Oh no, mother!" 
Soon after she asked her father to pray 
with her. 

She never hesitated to speak of the 
goodness of God to her, especially in giv- 
ing her praying parents. At one time, 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 75 



during her sickness, she said to her fa- 
ther, " How good God is to me to give 
me such a kind, good father, while some 
little children have no father and no one 
to pray with them !" At another time 
she said to him, " Christ's yoke is easy, 
and his burden is light." She did not 
feel that it was hard to suffer, but plea- 
sant and easy, for the sake of her dear 
Redeemer. 

I have told you how very fond of sing- 
ing Gratia was. While she was sick, 
she wanted very much to sing, but could 
not, as it caused her a great deal of pain. 
She w r ould sometimes say, " I would like 
to sing, if it did not make my head ache 
so," and would often commence, but she 
could bear the sound only for a very 
short time. 

Dear little Gratia suffered much dur- 
ing her last illness, and she would fre- 
quently exclaim, in agony, "Oh, mother! 
I'm in sitch a distress — distress — tress!" 



76 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



Her mother would ask, " Where do you 
feel so badly, my dear ? " " In my head ; " 
and sometimes her reply was, "All over." 

Her disease progressed rapidly now, 
and the attending physicians said she 
could not recover. 

She had many times told her mother, 
if she was taken ill, and her physician 
thought she could not recover, she should 
wish to be told of it immediately ; and it 
was with an aching heart that her fa- 
ther now said to her, "Gratia, my dar- 
ling, we fear you can never get well." 
Do you think she was alarmed at this in- 
telligence ? No ! She calmly replied, 
" When I die, father, the Lord will give 
me angels' wings to fly where little bro- 
ther is." 

" Sweet child ! no fear of death's dark dream, 
Nor doubt, nor dread, came shadowy o'er 
Thy spirit then. Thine was the trust 
Of childish faith — thy look beyond 
The grave, far in the spirit-land. 
Where angels dwell with God." 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 77 



She soon after said to him, " I want to 
go home to my blessed Saviour." 

"The Lord, thy blessed Saviour, bore thee in his 
bosom home. 
A lamb within the fold thou art; for he has said 
Of such his kingdom is I" 

Her mother says, " Gratia always met 
me with a smile, when entering her 
room. At one time, while looking with 
deep anxiety upon her pale face, and not 
returning her smile, she said to me, 
' You are not happy, mother. You do 
not smile on me.' " 

The Friday before her death, her phy- 
sicians thought her symptoms more fa- 
vourable, and her mother said to her, on 
seeing her in the morning, " You are bet- 
ter, Gratia." 

She looked up to her mother, and 
quietly replied, " I am. much worse, mo- 
ther!" 

" We think you very much better." 

" Oh no, mother ; I am much worse ! " 



78 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



CHAPTER X. 

One morning early, a few days before 
Gratia's death, as her aunt was seated 
beside her bed, watching her counte- 
nance 5 she suddenly opened her eyes, and 
reaching out her thin, pale hand, said, in 
her natural tone, "Aunt Mary, I want 
to kiss you once more." Her aunt, being 
greatly affected by the request, did not 
go to her at once, and she said again — 
" Aunt Mary Jane, I want to have you 
come here ; I want to kiss you once more, 
for the last time." Her aunt went to her, 
and bent over her to receive indeed from 
those fevered lips the last, last token of 
her love. After she had kissed her, she 
said, " Will you call my mother ? I want 
to see my mother." 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 79 



" Your mother is not dressed yet, dear 
Gratia/' she replied : " try and go to sleep 
again, and I will call her when you 
awake." 

" I want to see her now, Aunt Mary 
Jane, for the last time/' — she immediately 
repeated in an earnest tone; " and I want 
to see all the family. I want to bid them 
all good-by for the last time." 

Her aunt left the room to call her 
mother, and when she entered it, the 
plaintive voice of her dying child fell up- 
on her ear, with the words, " Good-by, 
dear mother ! Good-by ! Farewell, my 
mother ! " 

She continued to plead so earnestly to 
see all the family, that they were called. 
As each one entered the room she 
repeated, " Good-by ! Good-by ! " She 
then asked especially to see the baby, 
and with a look of ardent love, of deep, 
deep tenderness, her eyes rested upon 
little Annie, as she softly said, "Bear 



80 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



little sister!'' Her father said to her, 
" Shall I take the baby out?" "Not 
while she is quiet." When he carried 
her away, Gratia' s eyes followed wistfully 
after them, and again she softly said, 
" Good-by, my little sister ! Good-by, 
my dear father ! " Not seeing, by her 
bedside, the coloured girl who had been 
brought up in her father's family, and 
who had taken much care of her, and to 
whom she was warmly attached, she in- 
quired, " Where is Laura ? I want to bid 
her good-by." 

As her mother approached the bed, 
she said, " I am dying, mother." Her 
mother replied, " Gratia is safe in Christ." 
She raised her full black eyes, and, with 
the most perfect confidence and childish 
simplicity, exclaimed, " The Lord is my 
Shepherd — how happy am I ! Mother, 
will you pray with me ? " After prayer, 
she asked, " May I pray, mother?" She 
then uttered her last audible prayer, full 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 81 



of resignation and of sincere faith. So 
fervent, so pure, so elevating, and so ma- 
ture ! — The following are her exact 
words : 

" Lord, forgive all my sins ! Bless 
my dear father and mother and little sis- 
ter, and keep them alive, and bless all ; 

let thy kingdom come. 

Lord, bless me, and give me pa- 
tience and may I be encircled in 

the arms of my Saviour. May we 

all meet in heaven and sing glory 

and when I leave, may I be enfolded in 
the arms of my Saviour, and sing glory, 

glory glory, glory forever and — 

forever through Jesus Christ 

the dear Redeemer. Amen." 

She spoke this slowly, but very dis- 
tinctly, making a long pause between 
some of the sentences. 

Never again was her dear mother per- 
mitted to converse with her. 

A short season of suffering followed, 



82 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



when the angel came and gently bore 
away her infant spirit to the presence of 
her loved Redeemer. 

" We watched her breathing through the night, 
Her breathing, soft and low, 
As in her breast the wave of life 
Kept heaving to and fro. 

" So silently we seem'd to speak, 
So slowly moved about, 
■ As we had lent her half our powers 
To eke her being out. 

u Our very hopes belied our fears, 
Our fears our hopes belied — 
We thought her dying, when she slept, 
And sleeping, when she died. 

" For when the morn came dim and sad, 
And chill with early showers, 
Her quiet eye-lids closed — she had 
Another morn than ours." 

So passed away the life of this pre- 
cious lamb ! Many children attended her 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 83 



funeral, and the tears fell fast into that 
little coffin as they turned away, wish- 
ing and resolving to be good. They 
then sung Gratia s favourite hymn : 

11 The Lord is my Shepherd : how happy am I ! 
How tender and watchful my wants to supply ! 
He daily provides me with raiment and food : 
Whatever he denies me is meant for my good. 

" The Lord is my Shepherd : then I must obey 
His gracious commandments and walk in his way, 
His fear he will teach me, my heart he'll renew, 
And though I'm so sinful, my sins he'll subdue. 

" The Lord is my Shepherd : how happy am I ! 
I'm blest while I live, and blest when I die; 
In death's gloomy valley no evil I dread, 
For ( I will be with thee/ my Shepherd has said. 

u The Lord is my Shepherd : I'll sing with delight, 
Till called to adore him in regions of light ; 
Then praise him with angels, to bright harps of gold, 
And ever and ever his glory behold/' 



84 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD; OR, 



CONCLUSION. 

Dear children, that you may, like 
Gratia, be affectionate and kind, be 
thoughtful, be earnest to do good, be 
pure-minded, seeking after the things 
that make for your peace, is the sincere 
prayer of one who loves you. 

Perhaps you would like to read what 
Gratia's pastor said of her : — 

" There is not often any thing in the 
lives of those who die so young that is 
worthy of public notice; but there is 
much in every child that dies that is in- 
teresting to its parents and friends, and 
will be remembered by them. 

" I wish to record a few facts respecting 
this child, that are interesting to all : 

" 1. She never attended school a day in 
her life. She was instructed by her pa- 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 85 



rents. She learned to read when four 
years old, and was able to read in four 
weeks from the time she began to learn 
the alphabet. This shows that children 
need not be three months, as they often 
are, in learning the alphabet, and a year 
in learning to read easy sentences. 

" 2. She was shielded entirely from the 
evil influences of the world; never heard 
sacred things spoken of lightly, or scorn- 
fully, or as if untrue. She therefore re- 
ceived religious instruction, and believed 
what she heard. 

" The minds of mankind are so general- 
ly perverted by the cavils and objections 
they hear, that divine truth often makes 
but a very feeble impression upon them. 
We learn, from the effect of truth upon 
her mind, that its influence is far greater, 
if given before the individual comes in 
contact with evil. 

" 3. She read the Bible, both the Old 
Testament and the New, with great de- 



86 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD ; OR, 



light, apparently with, at least, as much 
interest as she read other books. 

"4. She conscientiously observed the 
Sabbath. She was particular to put away 
all her books and playthings that were 
around during the week, before sunset 
on Saturday, exchanging them for such 
books as were suitable for the Sabbath. 
This she did without being told. 

" 5. During the last winter, her mind 
was deeply impressed with religious truth 
— her exercises were like those of adults. 
She became, in the judgment of all who 
were acquainted with her feelings, a sub- 
ject of renewing grace, and has left as 
satisfactory evidence of genuine conver- 
sion as we often find in those of riper 
years. 

" I record these facts not to eulogize the 
dead, but for the benefit of the living. 
Let children read and remember them." 

In Gratia' s little bookcase, which her 
mother opened after her death, she found 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 87 



the following, which the dear child had 



] OJ 



probably selected for her own reading : 



"A mother bent with anxious eye, 

And gazed upon her child, 
And, as she felt that she must die, 

Her heart with grief was wild. 
1 Oh, leave me, leave me not ! ' she cried, 

1 How can I give thee up ? 
'Twill rend anew my bursting heart ; 

; Tis death to drink this cup V 
The little sufferer saw her tears, 

As in her arms she lay ; 
And, with a sweet, but feeble voice, 

She thus was heard to say : 

" e Mother, weep not; — I'm going home ; 
Where pain and sickness will not come ; 
This aching head will shortly rest 
At peace upon my Saviour's breast. 

" l Oh, then, dear mother, dry that tear, 
And learn to hope, though I'm not here ; 
For I shall be an angel bright, 
Rejoicing in yon world of light. 



GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD J OR, 



" ( My heavenly Father calls to me ; 
My Saviour's open arms I see ; 
I hear their voice ; I know 'tis so; 
Then weep not, mother ; I must go. 

" i I slept ; and oh, in visions sweet, 
There came a form I loved to greet, 
I saw a beauteous angel stand, 
And beckon to me with his hand. 

" i Then, mother, wipe those weeping eyes ; 
I leave you, to ascend the skies ; 
Have faith and hope ; let me obey 
These voices calling me away ! ' 

" She ceased — and fainter grew her breath, 

Then closed her eyes of love \ 
She smiled ; then angel-wings received, 

And sought her home above. 
But to that stricken mother's heart 

New strength and faith had come ; 
She saw her die, then meekly said, — 

1 Thy will } not mme, be done !' " 

I do not think, my dear children, you 
can in all things be like Gratia, but you 



THE LITTLE MISSIONARY. 89 



can try to be good and love that Great 
God, who has so infinitely blessed you. 

Little Annie, whom Gratia loved so 
well, is still living, and is now old enough 
to read this little book. May she learn 
to be useful and to walk in that " strait 
and narrow way," which Gratia sought 
and found ! 

It is many years since this dear child 
went down to the tomb, but her loveliness 
is still enshrined in a mothers heart. She 
mourns as deeply now as then, but she is 
made glad with thoughts of her darling 
in her bright home above, where she will, 
one day, meet her, and they shall be no 
more separated ; no, never ! May your 
weeping mothers chant with her — 

" I loved thee, daughter of my heart ! 
My child, I loved thee dearly ; 
And, though we only met to part, 

How sweetly ! how severely ! 
Nor life nor death can sever 
My soul from thine forever. 



90 GRATIA OLIVE LEONARD. 



"The days, my little one, were few; 

An angeF s morning visit, 
That came and vanished with the dew, — 

; Twas here, 'tis gone, — where is it ? 
Yet didst thou leave behind thee 
A clue for love to find thee. 

u Gratia, my first, my eldest love, 

The crown of every other ! 
Though thou art born in heaven above, 

I am thine only mother; 
Nor will affection let me 
Believe thou canst forget me. 

i Then thou in heaven, and I on earth, — 

May this one hope delight us, 
That thou wilt hail my second birth, 

When death shall reunite us, 
Where worlds no more can sever 
Parent and child forever \" 



THE END. 



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